The first Albanian, aged 24 and resident in the southern city of Lucera, had posted numerous anti-Western messages to his Facebook page and had taken an active part in a WhatsApp jihadist chat, according to anti-terror investigators in Bari.

The suspect had also been in close contact with an Albanian foreign fighter and had clear ties to a Salafite group to which two Albanian terror suspects belonged who were deported from Italy last year, investigators said. He was also allegedly involved in smuggling migrants.

The second Albanian, 23, had close ties to the first suspect and to an Albanian criminal gang that trafficked migrants to the southern city of Foggia, investigators said. His Facebook page showed a picture of him wielding a pistol, according to investigators.

A total 100 Islamic extremists have been expelled from Italy this year and 232 since January 1, 2015.